Mercy
by stonerbadger
Summary: The story of how a ship crash landed and incidentally also how Poe Dameron found his way back to the Resistance. Poe/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! This is my first story on a new account and I've been um-ing and ah-ing over whether to actually upload it. However, here we are! I apologise first of all that Poe won't appear for three or four chapters at least, in order to develop the story and the characters initially. Any feedback would be appreciated if you feel so inclined! For now however, enjoy the first chapter of Mercy! :)**_

It was the sound of sirens that woke her. It was the flashing lights that blinded her afterwards. The ships floor vibrated violently beneath her bare feet as she sat up, panic beginning to fill her. She stumbled a few metres as the ship began to jerk to the comms unit. An ominous crash sounded nearby and she looked up, eyes wide in panic.

"Jed! What's going on?" Even to her, her tone sounded panicked, no matter how much she wished it didn't.

"I'd like to say we've hit a bit of turbulence," the strained voice of the pilot crackled through, "but the truth is we've run into some trouble and it's not looking too good for us."

"Give me a minute," she replied, "I'm coming up." She only had time to pull on her boots and a jacket before she started trying to navigate her way to the helm of the ship. It swayed every half a minute before it shook and she was thrown into walls, sometimes only just standing before she was thrown in the opposite direction. She could feel bumps and bruises forming all over her body and there was a pain in her arm from where she'd caught it as she'd lost her footing in the confusion, yet eventually she made it to the helm of the ship and the bridge.

* * *

She was speechless as she stepped onto the bridge. There weren't words that she could bring to mind to capture what she was seeing in front of her and she stood gapping as she clutched onto the back of one of the navigational chairs for support. In front of her was a fleet of First Order TIE Fighters and battlecruisers. They were going to be massacred.

"Why haven't they open fired? We're an unmarked vessel in deep space."

The pilot didn't take his eyes off of the imposing ships, "they have. Our shields barely held on." They weren't the only one on the bridge. Their ship was lightening quick, faster than the Millennium Falcon but not by much but to gain that much speed and still maintain control it needed a crew of five on the bridge; one pilot, one co-pilot, two navigators and a systems technician. She wasn't the captain of the ship by any means but she was a childhood friend of him and that gave her a ranking above what she should have had as the onboard medic and flight nurse.

"Sir, we won't be able to last if they attack us again."

"Sit down, Veruna. I need a comms tech." While the bridge needed five to function there were eight seats so an extra three crew to could assist during an attack; a comms tech and two weapons technicians. As Veruna sat down, an innocent two beeps sounded and on the holoscreen in front of her a message popped up which made her blood run cold.

"They're hailing us." Jed looked at her from where he sat and nodded, displaying the red-haired general they all hated.

"You are an unmarked ship in First Order territory. State your purpose and allow us to board."

"You could've asked that before you shot at us." She looked over at her friend who was leaning back in his chair with an easygoing look on his face that didn't fool anyone. The First Order was going to kill them no matter what they said. If they didn't allow them to board they would bring down the ship, if they did board then they would discover their purpose and shoot them all on the spot, taking control of the fastest ship in the galaxy. Jed knew the odds and he knew that every single member of his crew would rather die than see the First Order take over.

"If you think that we'll let you board peacefully I'm afraid you're wrong. Let us pass in good faith and we'll be gone as quickly as we came."

"Surrender to the First Order and allow us to board or be killed." The two men carried on, both saying their own demands and neither listening to the other. Veruna found a sort of peace in that time. She knew that it was possible that she would die doing this but she never expected it to be like this. Yet, as she thought about it, she found that she was comfortable with this death. She would've preferred to be killed while maybe saving a patient, something heroic that would get her remembered rather than a cold death in deep space. But still, she was with her friends and she was helping a cause that she thought was right rather than whimpering under the thumb of the First Order. There was a pause that snapped her out of her faux peace before Hux said the dreaded two words.

"Open fire." His image disappeared and all eyes on the bridge turned to Jed.

"We can't outgun them, and our shields won't survive another attack." It was the harsh truth disguised in the gentle, yet fatherly voice of the systems technician, Grosby.

"We don't need to outgun them," Jed suddenly perked up, "this is the fastest ship in the galaxy. We simply need to outrun them." Suddenly he started barking orders, as fast as he could as the energy bolts started heading in the direction of their ship. The navigators were working out impossible sums in their heads to send the ship into hyper drive at an angle which allowed them to avoid all First Order ships, avoid any nearby planets and not kill everyone on board. Veruna watched in fascination as they entered coordinates before informing their pilot that everything was ready.  
Jed grinned at his co-pilot, Grosby's son Mace before both placed the ship into hyper drive, watching as the stars gathered around them and then they slingshotted across space.

* * *

Veruna didn't want to breathe out in relief. While the crew around them relaxed and some easy talking resumed. They appeared to have thrown the First Order off of their tail, but the interruption had thrown them far off track and the navigators were trying to work backwards to figure out where they were. Veruna gasped in wonder as millions of colours flew by in hyper drive, blues, purples, reds like blood, colours that she'd never seen so deep in space before flew past the ship and she wondered whether they were planets or stars or other ships. She didn't care. It was all beautiful. The ship came out of hyper drive as quickly as it had gone in and the crew hastily looked around to try and identify the group of planets they were currently nestled in the middle of. Like the colours that had passed before, the planets were all different colours and sizes, some with moons and some with rings that circled them like electrons circles an atom's nucleus. Surrounding them all in a semi-circle was a thick asteroid belt that held a medium sized sun on the other side and then just darkness.

"I think we should land on one of these planets until we known where we are, Sir," Mace spoke up, "our shields can't take that asteroid belt until they've recharged and the ship needs to be checked for damage." Jed nodded.

"I agree, set the co-ordinates to land on the most habitable planet and we'll make further decisions from there." The two navigators nodded, twins, a boy and a girl, before doing as they were told, indicating when they were ready.

"Beginning our descent," the two pilots stated before they were fully focused on their jobs. Just as the ship was about to hit the planet's atmosphere, Veruna heard a dreaded noise that made her stomach drop and the blood rush from her face while the ship shook.

"Putting all expendable power into our shielding!" Grosby called out as the TIE fighter flew past again, taking another shot. Jed and Mace both called out as they lost control of the ship and once against the emergency alarms were hit, a pulsing red light taking over with the blaring siren. As this happened, Veruna had no choice but to look at the planet they were about to crash into and she decided that she didn't particularly want to die this way at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**_So here we are everyone! Chapter Two! I hope everyone enjoyed chapter one and will enjoy this one as well! Thank you to all those who reviewed! I have the first four or so chapters already written up and am now planning to introduce Poe in chapter five or six, potentially just with his first appearance in five and then actually in chapter six. Let me know what you think of both this and the chapter! :)_**

She didn't remember the crash when she woke. She assumed that was a good thing. She didn't particularly want to remember the rush of the ground towards them or the feel of her stomach in her mouth as their ship turned and rotated in open air, not knowing what was to come except death.  
She was surprised then, when she woke in the same seat she'd crashed in, sparks flying around the bridge as she came to. It took her a moment to realise what had happened. That she was alive and the ship had crashed after being shot down by a TIE fighter. She was lying sideways, she realised as she tried to force herself upright, her whole body screaming at her as she did so. Around her she could hear some of the other crew starting to come to as well. Veruna wiggled around, trying to regain some sensation and ease the headache that was throbbing at her temples. Finally, she managed to undo the emergency harness and fell out of her chair. She groaned as she pulled her feet underneath her, realising that she was in fact standing next to the systems station on the other side of the bridge. She limped slightly as she attempted to regain her balance on the curved glass that served to lookout of the ship and protect them. She shook the man who was slumped over his station.

"Grosby?" She feared the worst when he didn't respond until her slowly started to blink his eyes open.

"Where are we?" he asked as he also watched his son try to sit up and discovered himself in the same position veruna was in. He, too, undid his safety harness and landed next to her, allowing her to catch him.

"I don't know. Somewhere in the Undiscovered Region. We're in First Order territory."

"What do we do?" Mace asked and Veruna looked at him and then over to her friend, still slumped in his chair, unmoving and pale.

"You're the pilot now. It's your call to make." There was a heaviness in her words that clung to the room. Mace nodded as his shoulders sagged, looking at the floor and nodding.

"Search the ship for survivors and gather what supplies tou can. We need to try and find out where we are and find some shelter before the First Order sends troops down.

"You know that if the First Order finds her..." Veruna trailed off, knowing that if their enemies found their ship they would develop the technology.

"We'll hide her the best we can once we've got the survivors out."

"And those that haven't survived?"

Mace's shoulders sagged further when his father stepped in.

"Leave them. We don't have time for much discussion." The trio nodded and set about their work.

* * *

It was a long heartbreaking job to carry out. Veruna had to climb through miles of collapsed tubes and piped and corridors. Her headache was growing worse the more she continued and every member of crew she'd come across had been staring at her blankly with clouding eyes. Even reaching the medbay to retrieve her kit didn't lighten her mood at all, not when there were so many she didn't even have the oppertunity to try and save. _Perhaps I should've stayed here to help,_ she thought as she looked at the bodies thrown off of biobeds and onto the floor. _But then I'd be with them,_ she tried to justify but somehow it didn't sit right in her head.

* * *

Once again, she found herself falling and then blinded as she made her way out of the ship. The ground beneath her was solid and did nothing to help cushion her aching body. Grass tickled her face as with squinting eyes she looked up to see that they had crashed in a valley. Grosby stood waiting for her with one of the twins, Yaneé.

"Did you find anyone?" he asked grimly, as though he already knew the answer. Veruna shook her head sadly and she watched the old man deflate. It wasn't just his son he'd had aboard, he'd also had a daughter, Serana.

"I'm sorry, Groz." The man shook his head.

"There's nothing you could've done, Sabé." It was odd hearing her first name after being called by her second for so long. It was a painful reminder of all that she wasn't. Their silence was broken as Mace came back supporting another. Both heads of the men were down but Sabé assumed by the mass of dark curls that it was Mace's love, Xxarr. They both hobbled out, supporting each other and rejoined the group.

"Did you find anyone else?" she asked and Mace looked up and shook his head, with tears streaming down his face. Veruna looked around with a lump in her throat and a heaviness in her stomach. In a matter of minutes their crew of fifty had become five.

"We need to hide the ship," Yaneé finally said. They were the first words she'd said since she'd discovered her dead twin across the room. They turned to look at their ship, its silver bullet-like shape reflecting against the foreign sun.

"How are we going to hide it? It's not like we have a cloaking device fitted."

"I think we should be able to make something between us," Xxarr spoke up as he looked at Yaneé. The two nodded before turning to Mace for permission. He gave a short, sharp nod with a clenched jaw. His eyes were cold and Veruna felt a tug of sympathy for him. He'd never wanted to be in charge. That responsibility had always fallen to Jed, but now he was dead and Mace was suddenly in charge of trying to keep four people alive while they were stranded on an unknown planet in uncharted territory. As they watched the duo disappear back into the ship to try and work on a device that would help hide the ship she took a moment to take in their surroundings.

From where they stood in the valley that they had crashed in it was simply grassy, but as she looked down she could see that they were in fact in a mountain range. Forests covered much of the landscape but she could also just see a sea in the distance, or at least a large body of water. Looking up, she could see the peaks of the mountain range capped with snow, jagged and beautiful. No bout, there would be streams and rivers that ran off it to fee the body of water below. There was a light breeze in the air that made her skin prickle slightly but otherwise it was a comfortable temperature with a gorgeous blue sky. She squinted her eyes as a black spot appeared in her vision, thinking that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her in the sudden brightness after having been in artificial light for so long. But it continued to get bigger and bigger. Soon, the unmistakable noise of a TIE fighter was filling her ears, make her limbs shake more than they already were.

"We need to go!" she yelled as she turned towards the two men.

"Xxarr and Yaneé are still in there!" Mace exclaimed, yet he'd already grabbed his father's arm and turned him towards the thick forest.

"They know how to survive!" Veruna replied hastily and the trio took off sprinting towards the forest.

* * *

From the first step, Veruna's legs felt like they might give way beneath her. Mace and Grosby didn't appear to be faring much better ahead of her, tripping over tree roots and rocks. Soon they could hear the sound of Stormtroopers behind them, their noisy footsteps and the conversations they were having.

"Quick!" Mace called, "climb a tree!" Both he and his father quickly scaled up into a tall tree where they were hidden somewhat by the canopy and by the earthy tones of their clothes. Veruna wanted to cry, not sure how much longer her tired and sore body would support her for, but even so she jumped to grab hold of the nearest branch before heaving herself up, the effort making her vision swim. She'd barely recovered as she forced herself up higher and higher. She soon found a sturdy branch within the canopy where she could see her friends and rest comfortably. The Stormtroopers passed below them, unaware. Veruna pulled a knife out of her bag, and got herself into a position where she could jump to attack one. There were only five and she thought that the odds were looking good if all three of them attacked with the element of surprise. She looked over to Mace and he met her gaze. Realising what she was about to do he hurriedly shook his head, his blue eyes wide. Veruna nodded, understanding that rather than attacking them Mace wanted to let them leave, and go back to the First Order to tell them that there were no survivors. He was ensuring their safety. A moment passed as the Stormtroopers paused and looked around. All they could hear was birds as they kicked at underbrush and rocks, anywhere they could've hidden. One Stormtrooper looked up and Veruna could've sworn that she met his emotionless helmet's gaze but a few seconds later and one of them spoke up.

"It must've been some local wildlife we saw. Come on. Let's head back to the ship." The others were quick to agree and followed the first out of the forest.

* * *

They waited until the heard the sound of the TIE fighter leaving, this time followed by an Atmospheric Assault Lander. The trio breathed a sigh of relief before carefully climbing down from their respective trees and meeting in the middle. Veruna reveled in the woody smell that surrounded her and the green. She'd missed the green of her home planet while she was away and being able to take in the sights and smells greatly improved her mood. This forest was different than her forests though. The forests on this planet were dry, the top layer of the earth and mulch dry and dusty and it only grew damp beneath. The heat wasn't heavy and muggy like where she was from.  
Mace and Grosby joined her.

"Let's head back to the ship. We'll stay there tonight and discover more of the planet tomorrow. We might be stuck here indefinitely." It was a grim statement that Mace had made, but they all knew it was the truth. They didn't know how they were getting off this planet at all. The run from the ship had taken only five minutes, yet the walk back took considerably longer. The trio had injures that hadn't been looked at and they were exhausted. Veruna was having enough difficulty convincing her mind to put one foot in front of the other, her head swimming with each step and not fully focused on where she was actually stepping. She tripped several times, barely catching herself before she continued. It seemed an endless walk, yet eventually they reached the ship.

* * *

When they did, Yaneé and Xxarr were sitting outside, on the grass. With a relieved cry, Mace ran to him and swooped him up in a kiss. Veruna, however, stood in shock as they looked at the ship they'd left but now in an almost unsalvageable condition.

"What did you do to her?" she asked absentmindedly, drawing all attention to her before Yaneé and Xxarr exchanged a coy smile.

"We had to keep the Stormtroopers from bringing more First Order troops back here and we couldn't cloak the whole ship without it look suspicious, so we improvised."

"You destroyed the ship?"

"We modified a cloaking device we had that was designed to hide camps and simply overlaid the image we wanted overtop. Worked like a charm." Yaneé had said it like it was a simple concept and then kicked what seemed to be thin air. The image of the destroyed ship flickered before disappearing altogether.

"And you did this?" Mace asked her. Her braided, brown hair swayed as she scoffed at him.

"I just wrote the code to show what we needed to show. It was that one over there who actually made the modifications to the device." Mace nodded and drew his partner closer to his side with pride and affection. Suddenly, Mace shook his head as if to snap himself back into leadership mode.

"We're staying here for the night, then tomorrow we'll try and find a more permanent shelter."

* * *

As they settled for the night, Veruna fulfilled her duty as medic and took care of the injuries that had occurred during the crash. Most of them were minor, Xxarr had a split lip and Yaneé had a gash on her arm. The most serious injury she'd found was Grosby's who had a cut on his leg deep enough and wide enough to require stitching. The group talked jovially as she fixed them up and they ate a small portion of the food that was on their ship. She sat mostly to herself as she ate and watched the rest of the group. Despite knowing Mace and Grosby since she was a teenager and her mother had died, she still felt somewhat an outsider. Mace had Xxarr and she never really talked to Yaneé. Their positions were too different to spend much time together and she spent most of her time with her twin. She looked up from the bread she was pulling apart and eating as said navigator came and sat next to her. Veruna tried to keep the curiousity out of her gaze as the woman followed the direction of her stare, towards the trio and then further, down the valley.

"What do you think we'll find out there?" she asked.

"I don't know," Veruna replied. Yaneé put her drink down and turned to face her, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the grass by her folded legs.

This time Veruna didn't bother to hide the questioning look on her face.

"I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but you have a cut on your head." _That explained the headache_ , Veruna thought wryly, but Yaneé hadn't finished talking.

"I was wondering if you wanted me to clean it for you?" Veruna had half a mind to tell her no, that she could do it herself but she realized what it was Yaneé was doing. She nodded and handed the woman her medkit. She leant forward as the woman first went about getting rid of the blood that had trickled down her forehead and cheek and dried.

"I never realized how much I didn't know you until we crashed," Yaneé stated.

"I suppose we were always pleasant to each other but never really made the effort to become friends," Sabé agreed.

"I didn't realise we had anything in common."

"I think being stranded on a planet together is a pretty big one." Veruna's laughter at her own joke was joined by Yaneé's own.

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think it's the most pathetic injury out of all of us." Veruna laughed again and the dark-haired woman gave a bright smile.

"Head injuries tend to be like that," she agreed, "they just bleed a lot."

Suddenly, Yaneé looked bashful, almost shy.

"Can I ask something?" She looked up through her lashes as she said it, meeting Sabé's frowning face as she nodded.

"Do you mind if I sleep near you tonight? It's the first time I've slept without Ronhar nearby and I don't want to ask the others." Veruna felt a pang of sympathy and nodded, unfolding a blanket and laying it over the both of them, grateful for the extra warm as she gazed up at the strange stars until she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey everyone! I'm back! So originally I was going to wait a few more days to post this be I got super impatient because I've just written the chapter where we first meet Poe! (Chapter Five) So stay tuned and the next two chapters should be posted sometime probably within the week. I just want to take a moment as well to thank the reviews I've had with a special mention to Daere! Your reviews honestly make me so excited and I appreciate the feedback so feel free to flick through what you think! Now, enjoy the next chapter! :)**_

"Is it me," Yaneé chirped over the radio, "or does this place kind of remind you of home?"

"Speak for yourself," Mace panted, "It's just rocks where we are." Upon waking that morning, the group had gathered more supplies from the wreckage, including blasters, radios and enough food and water to last them a few days. From there they'd made their way down the mountain together with Yaneé and Xxarr's improvised cloaking device in place. Each with their own pack, they'd walked down the mountain together before splitting up and heading off in different directions. From what Veruna could gather, Mace and Grosby had ended up in similar terrain which consisted mostly of rocky outcrops and dust. Xxarr had followed a river he'd found and ended up at a waterfall that he wasn't willing to climb down and was tracking back to try and find a way down. Yaneé seemed to have discovered some of the lush rolling plains that the planet contained. Sabé, however, was still in the same forest she'd been in since they'd split off. The valley they'd crashed in seemed to be an outlier, as not a few hundred metres down, the valley had turned into a rocky canyon with a sliver of a stream winding its way through. Veruna guessed that it was a tiny vein of the water that made up the river Xxarr had walked alongside.

"It's not muggy enough to be home," Grosby laughed over the crackle of the radio. Veruna kept quiet as she continued her trek. The trees had changed the further down she'd got. While they'd been a mix of pines and cypress trees they were now more like beech trees. There were ferns at her feet and fallen, moss covered logs. The only sounds around her were those of birds and the trees swaying against each other in the breeze which is why she stopped suddenly when she heard a branch snap behind her. As silently as she could, she pulled her blaster from its place at her hip and took the safety off. Her eyes scanned the foliage for the threat. She passed it and continued to scan before something in her gut told her to go back and look again.

"Just confirming, none of you are in my area, are you?" she asked over the radio.

"Negative," replied Yaneé.

"Nowhere near," confirmed Mace and Grosby.

"I might be nearby but I'm not close," was Xxarr's reply. It did nothing to settle the uneasy feeling that was settling in her stomach. Crouching down, she squinted and there it was. It was barely visible in the underbrush, but as she crouched it moved forward and she gasped. It had shaggy brown hair that almost reminded her of a wookie. This animal was much wider than a wookie, however, and she had no doubt that when she stood, its back at the highest part would at least meet her shoulder. Its eyes were as black as anything she'd seen and it had rounded ears and a long rectangular snout. Suddenly, it opened its mouth to reveal several sharp canines that would tear through her in an instant, and let out a throaty noise. She stood up in panic, her heart beating heavily in her chest and aimed her blaster. As she did the creature stood up on its hind legs, letting out the same throaty noise.  
Without hesitation, Veruna shot at it.  
And nearly cried out in horror as the blaster did nothing to the animal except anger it. It flopped back down onto four legs and that was when Veruna turned and ran.

* * *

As she ran, Veruna could hear heart heartbeat in her ears. She could feel her lungs crying out for more oxygen and she could feel the forest floor beneath her feet as she tried to out run the animal. She dared not look back to see how close it was in fear that it would slow her down or she would run into a tree. If she looked ahead she could weave nimbly between the trees. She could hear the triplet of its feet hitting the ground as it ran. _Thunk-thunk-thunk, thunk-thunk-thunk._ Ahead, she could see more light coming through the trees and as she continued the forest began to thin out. She jumped over a fallen log, running as soon as one foot hit the ground. She was almost out of the forest now. She could see the last line of trees and pushed her body to go faster. Her lungs screamed in protest. With a smile, she dive-rolled under a particularly low hanging branch and continued.

She had finally cleared the forest.

In front of her were golden grass plains, swaying and full of tussock grass. The dirt beneath her feet was fine and sand-like, and as she continued running she left a small cloud behind her. She dared herself a look back and found that the animal was a fair distance behind her, its short muscular legs designed for sprinting in the forest. Looking in front of her again she skidded to a wild stop, her arms flailing to keep her balance and keep her from falling off the edge of the cliff. In a panic, she looked down. She could make the jump into the water with a run-up. She looked back to the creature and then back down at the water. With a gulp and wide eyes, she ran back a few metres, the creature seeming to speed up with the promise of catching its prey. Dipping down, Veruna skidded slightly as turned, and pushed back off, sprinting towards the cliff without a second thought, the creature gained enough to pounce, right as her foot hit the edge of the rock and fell into the azure water below.

* * *

She came up clutching for air, just in time to see the creature turn and walk back towards the forest. The water was warmer than she expected it to be and she tread it for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. She gave a sigh in relief. Looking around, she attempted to find a beach where she could climb out, but all she saw was the jagged cliff face. Diving under the water she had a quick look around, attempting to see if there was a passage she could potentially follow. Nothing but a few fish who swam away when she moved closer. Sighing in defeat, Veruna began to swim up the coastline. It had to even out somewhere. After swimming for a few hours, Veruna felt a tinge off excitement. In front of her was a cave that looked like it might lead somewhere. With a grin, she dove back under again to see where it would lead.

Veruna gasped when she came back up for air. She frowned in confusion as she met daylight above her and smooth, curved rock.

 _A well,_ she quickly realized, _I'm at the bottom of a well._ As she trod water she looked for a way to get out in wonder. What was a well doing here? Surely no one had lived here before? There was a rickety ladder that consisted of wood and rope that she wasn't overly enthused to attempt to climb, but she realized it was probably her only way out. She sighed and placed her foot on the first rung above the water. The wood crumbled away as she put weight on it and she fell back into the water with a splash. With a determined look, she tugged on one of the ropes. To her satisfaction it didn't budge. With slippery hands, she began to haul herself up the side of the well, firmly planting her feet when she could in an attempt not to slip back down. _Just put one hand on top of the other,_ she told herself as she felt her arms begin to shake from the effort, _just keep going._ It was with bared teeth and a grunt she hauled herself over the ledge before she landed on hard stone to her surprise. Pausing a moment to lie on her back and let her body recover, she closed her eyes, not taking in her surroundings as she contemplated falling asleep where she was.

Suddenly, her radio crackled to life and she answered it without looking.

"Sabé!" came Yaneé's panicked voice, "what happened?"

"I came across some of the native wildlife," she panted casually.

"Yeah, I heard the shots. Where did you go? That was hours ago?" Xxarr piped up.

"I went cliff jumping. Our blasters do nothing to these creatures."

"Where are you now?" There was radio silence as her eyes snapped open. She was stunned by what surrounded her. She was in the middle of an ancient city, built from limestone with clay-tiled rooves that was halfway to becoming a ruin. She stood in a large square area that she assumed had been a market or city centre as beyond that the buildings were fairly close together with twisting alleyways, with only a few wider streets that appeared to be main roads. They entire city sat half-carved out of rock and the streets slanted steadily upwards despite the levelness of the buildings. At the top and somewhat to the side was a building far larger than any of the others, built of marble rather than just rock. A palace. The radio crackled again.

"Veruna! What's going on?" Mace asked with a worried voice.

"Guys, I think you need to get down here."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey Everyone! I've decided now the story is mostly underway to stretch out to weekly updates so I'll be updating every Monday/Sunday depending on where you live :) It also gives me a better chance to write up some more quality words. I'm currently writing up chapter six but I'm not really happy with how it's turning out so I want to rewrite it :) Anyway enjoy Chapter Four!**_

Veruna had explored a little while she waited for her crewmembers to find her location. Xxarr was the first to join her, calling out her name as he walked through the city, gazing up in wonder at the buildings and the vines that now covered half of them. He chuckled when he first saw her disheveled state before she'd playfully hit him. Yaneé was the second, who'd had the same look of wonder on her face that Xxarr did. Finally, Grosby and Mace joined them, looking more confused than wonderous.

"Veruna, how did you find this?"

"I was attacked by some of the local wildlife and ended up jumping into the sea. I followed an underwater passage until I ended up at the bottom of the well." She gestured to the middle of the square before she turned back to them.

"However, I think we would be able to find a more suitable shelter up there." She pointed up to the palace that overlooked the ocean and heard them all audibly gasp. Veruna smiled. Mace turned back to her to nod excitedly.

"Good job, Veruna." She felt her chest swell with pride and she gave a smile and a nod in return.

* * *

They made their way up to the palace. The streets were narrow and cobbled an uneven but the talk amongst the group was light and full of laughter. Xxarr and Mace held hands and trailed slightly behind the group with Yaneé and Sabé in the front, happily talking and getting to know each other.

"So, what happened when you actually shot at the creature?" Yaneeé asked curiously and the others' talking stopped to focus on her answer.  
Veruna frowned in thought.

"I don't really know. I was more worried by the fact that it didn't do anything other than anger it."

"Did it ricochet?"  
Veruna shook her head, "it was more like it absorbed it somehow." The group frowned in confusion.

"How?" Xxarr breathed and Veruna shrugged, looking back up at the ever-growing palace that was a lot bigger than she'd originally thought.

"But, is it like that for all of the wildlife here?" Veruna looked at them, deadpan.

"How should I know?" They seemed to accept that and didn't continue the discussion. They'd reached the palace. Veruna looked up in wonder. It was three stories high, unimpressive when she considered the thousand storied building upon Coruscant, yet there was a majesty about it which demanded respect. They slowed as they approached it, standing under a canopy which was held up by tall marble columns, circular with simple designs at the top and bottom. Stone benches were laid around the edge and there was a large double door made of metal. It had become a turquoise colour over time, but there were still details that had remained. Four rectangular panels were engraved into it with dots bordering each one and large, circular handles to open and close it. With an excited grin, she pulled the doors open.

Nothing.

She frowned and tried again.

Still nothing.

This time when she tried to open them she pushed instead and felt them give way slightly, groaning in protest at not having been used in so long. It took all of her strength to open the heavy door but when she did it was well worth it. While most of the city appeared to be missing some sections of walls or roof, the palace appeared untouched and the door opened up into a large hall. It had floor tiles made of different coloured marble to form a pattern, whereas the walls were a smooth white. The ceiling was white also, curved with rows of tiles depicting a star shape. Once again there were seats along the walls with what must have used to be pot plants. There were several once fountains dotted down the centre and doors led off into different corridors and upstairs, but the most noticeable feature was the curved archway at the end which led to an open courtyard, paved with even stones.  
Mace took a step forward, "let's see what's here."

* * *

"These weapons are primitive." Grosby stated as he ran his hand over the weapons that lay both in racks and on display tables. Veruna and Grosby had ended up in a room at the back of the complex, which was open ended and possessed what appeared to have once been rope targets.

"This entire place is ancient, are you surprised that their weapons are any different?" This room was decorated slightly differently from the others that they'd come across. Along the walls were faded paintings of wars, and men fighting animals. One in particular drew her attention. A man fighting the furry creature she'd seen in the woods. There was writing beneath it in a language she couldn't understand, but used the grammar she'd seen in existing languages to try decipher it. _ἄρκτος. Arktos._ The thing had a name. She looked back up at the depiction, the arktos snarling like it had done with her, jowls dripping with blood, and the man who had a long spear in his hand, tipped with a pointed edge. For the most part the painting was all in black, with the blood on the bear in red, making it stand out that much more. Veruna smiled and ran her hand gently over it. It was beautiful.

"What even is this?" Grosby asked as he picked up a curved piece of wood shaped like a gentle wave, taught string attached to either end.

"It's a bow." She stated it simply but there wasn't much that was simple about it. Weapons like that hadn't been seen for thousands of years, not since before the Jedi's. She cautiously took it from him and felt the weight of it in her hands, the smooth, preserved wood, the string that was a few draws away from snapping and needing to be replaced. There were arrows nearby the other bows and she loaded one, feeling it almost click onto the nocking point and naturally rest on a groove in the wood. She aimed it at a target and drew the string back, feeling it creak. It took all of her effort to draw it back and her arm shook as she looked down it at one of the old targets. Finally, she released it, taking joy at watching the arrow fly before it completely missed the target, and scattered over the edge to the ocean below.

Grosby huffed in amusement from beside her, "maybe next time, V." She watched in dismay as he walked out of the room. Determined, she picked up another arrow, examining it more closely as she did. They had a twisted metal tip that she'd not seen the kind of before, and the fletching was a natural combination of browns and whites, similar to the birds she'd seen nearby. She nocked it again and drew, trying to steady herself more despite her shaking arm. This time the arrow nicked the edge of the rotten rope before it went scattering across the floor. She allowed herself a small satisfied smile before she nocked another, determined to be able to hit the remains of a target.

* * *

In the quiet of the abandoned palace, Veruna heard Sabé's astounded cursing from across the complex. She didn't even both to place the bow on the floor with the others whose strings had snapped, before sprinting across the complex, where she could hear voices coming from.

"What?" she asked in a panicked voice, "what is it?" It was when she actually looked around the room that she released her own swear words. The room wasn't as open as some of the others, yet it still managed to be bright. The walls were a luxurious red and the ceiling was painted with a scene of the area they were in. That wasn't what had caused her to swear, though. It had been the diamond shaped wooden shelves that covered the walls and created isles to a small reading area, crammed with scrolls.

"Paper," Xxarr breathed as he too took in the room.

"I've only heard about paper," Mace responded as he reached out as if to touch it and then drew back. It was yellowed and looked as if it would fall to pieces at any moment. The whole room had a strange smell that tickled Veruna's nose and made her want to sneeze. She reached out to touch it but unlike Mace she didn't draw back when it reached her fingers. It was a strange texture, fuzzy and soft, almost like a material and yet when she unrolled it, it made a startling rustle and crackling noise that nearly caused her to drop it. The scroll she'd picked up in particular was covered in the strange language that had described the scenes of violence in the weapons room and just at beautiful drawings.

"Whoever these people were," she breathed, not drawing her eyes off of the paper, "something tells me they were far more advanced than we are in the arts."

"Potentially other things as well," Xxarr commented.

"Just a shame we can't translate the texts." With a gentle sigh, she rerolled the scroll and placed it back where she found it, wanting to continue her exploration but also feeling her stomach grumble in protest. With all the excitement that had taken place during the day and the wonder of discovering the ancient city, she'd completely forgotten to eat. Yaneé giggled at the noise before biting her lip to try and stifle it. She smiled at Sabé.

"I think it is time for food."

* * *

They ate outside in the open courtyard that they'd discovered originally. It was rectangular in shape and although it was overgrown, the stone that they sat on was warm in the afternoon heat and the water from the tiled pool in the middle was clear and cool. The group at bread that they'd brought and dried fruits and some cheese. It wasn't much, but Veruna was grateful that they'd all shared a small portion with her after her food had been destroyed in the water. They agreed that after they'd eaten they'd continue exploring to find a few suitable rooms to stay in, yet in the heat they were groggy and all they wanted to do was sleep until the heat had passed. Mace and Xxarr were leaning, half asleep, against a vine covered pillar on the platform which served as a path around the sunken courtyard and was decorated with pillars along the edge which served to support what appeared to be a balcony above it. Grosby was wandering around observing something he'd found in his hand while sitting on the steps. Veruna and Yaneé however sat on the edge of the pool with their legs kicking at the water, lotuses and water lilies tickling their feet when they drifted too close. The only sound they could hear other than the rustling of trees in the breeze was that of the more harmless wildlife, birds and frogs. It was broken as suddenly everything went quiet, and then the sound came. They looked up with squinting eyes as they watched the ship hurtle out of the sky, smoke trailing behind it.

"What was that?" Yaneé asked.

"It looked like a small ship, perhaps a single pilot. Either way, it looks like they are no friends of the First Order either," Grosby spoke, standing and looking in the direction the ship had gone. Veruna stood.

"Let me go after them, and see if there are any survivors." Mace spoke from where he sat.

"We need you in case any of us are injured." Veruna shook her head.

"They might be injured!"

"You can't be spared!"

"I can be spared more than anyone else!" she argued, her brows furrowing. "You're our leader so you need to stay here, Grosby's too old to go," he cried out in offense at that, "Xxarr's needed to repair the ship and Yaneé is useless with a blaster. I'm the only one who's actually faced one of the creatures out there. It makes sense that I go."

Mace frowned at her, knowing that he was going to lose the argument.

"She's right," Yaneé stated, "I'm an astrophysicist. I couldn't hit a target if it was right in front of me. I think Veruna should go." She smiled gratefully at the girl who looked up at her with smiling brown eyes. Mace sighed again and Xxarr grabbed his hand in comfort.

"Wait until the morning at least. They looked like they had crashed a day's journey from here. Our weapons do nothing against the wildlife and we don't know what else will be out there after dark," Grosby spoke up, bringing a peace between his son and the girl he'd known since she was a teenager. Without another word, Mace set his jaw, stood and nodded, before turning on his heel and stalking back into the palace. Xxarr and Grosby both sighed before following after him and Yaneé gave an awkward smile as Veruna walked off in the opposite direction, determined to find a room for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning Veruna stood with her pack once again secured to her back, but this time a quiver of the strangely tipped arrows sat snuggly underneath. They all had their radios on them so they could hear when she touched base with them. Her blaster was holstered at her side, just in case whoever crashed in that ship wasn't a friend to them. Just because the First Order had shot them down didn't mean that they supported their cause. It was early in the morning and the surviving crew had eaten a small breakfast as the sun rose, but it was already promising to be a hot day. She stood outside with Grosby and Yaneé, talking about which direction she was to head in and that she had to radio in every two hours, and then again when she reached the crash site. It was assumed that she'd spend the night there and walk back with the crashed pilot in the morning. They'd finished their conversation when Mace came out with Xxarr, holding a golden gilded bow, stronger looking than the one she held and an intact bowstring.

"I found this in my room," he stated simply, not meeting Veruna's eyes after their disagreement the day before.

"Grosby told me that you'd taught yourself how to use it, so, uh, here." He awkwardly held it out. It looked unnatural in his hands, like he would drop it any second. She smiled and took it, understanding the peace offering he was presenting her with. She drew the string back experimentally, feeling how smoothly it pulled compared to the others that she'd tried.

"Thank you," she told him honestly, "I hope I don't have to use it today."

"Neither do I," he agreed and gave her a brief hug before walking back and taking Xxarr's hand. Xxarr gave her a nod, before Yaneé came up and gave her a hug too.

"I'll see you in a few days." She had said it like a promise and Veruna felt her heart tug that she didn't know what was out there enough to reassure her that she would.

Grosby simply nodded at her, "you come back alive, girl. There isn't anyone I trust more to stitch us back together." She gave a smile and a nod before she turned and started walking back through the city, mentally preparing herself for the long journey ahead.

* * *

She spent most of the morning walking along rocky and dusty terrain before tough tussock started to appear between them and eventually the forest was all that surrounded her, the terrain rolling up and down until eventually it steadily climbed and she knew she was in the mountain range. Yaneé kept her company with her chatter over the radio as the remaining crew continued to discover the palace's secrets. So far, the only other thing of importance Yaneé had discovered was a passage which led from the palace down to the sea. Xxarr and Mace had discovered a public bathing area where apparently the water was so warm they could see the steam. While they'd made her promise that she'd check in every two hours, so far, she hadn't needed to with their constant chatter. However, as the day drew on and she informed them first that she was stopping for lunch and then was continuing her journey, the conversations dropped off. Soon she was desperately trying to remember how long ago it was that she'd radioed in.

She was gently humming to herself when the forest went suddenly quiet and she stopped to look around wearily. Silently she drew the bow that she'd been gifted earlier that day. She had a theory that she wanted to try out. She had nothing to lose, she realized. An arrow was nocked. Once foot carefully placed in front of the other, she edged forward, scanning the bushes for the arktos. She came across it in a small clearing, eating what appeared to be a petite hoofed animal. She drew a gentle breath, pulling the bow string back as she brought it into position. She watched with satisfaction as the arrow flew true, hitting the arktos, it sunk past the fur of the creature and into muscle, causing it to roar in pain. She paled as she realized that while it had damaged the creature, it had not killed it and its pain filled roar was worsened by its blood covered muzzle. She was just as pained as the animal to see it in such pain, healing was her calling after all, not fighting. However, she knew that if she simply snuck past it had the possibility to sneak up behind her and kill her that way. If she was to be any help to the crashed pilot she needed to be alive. The bear turned to her as her radio crackled to life.

"Hey, Veruna, you'll never guess what she found." She was too focused on the beady eyes that were watching her to identify who was talking, only that they very potentially had gotten her killed without knowing it.

She nocked another arrow in a hurry as the arktos roared at her again with the same throaty noise that it had used yesterday. A warning, she assumed. As it did so, she loosed her arrow, watching in both horror and awe as it once again flew true to her mark and into the creatures mouth, burying itself deep with the fletching barely visible. It gave a final pained cry before it fell to the ground.

"My theory was correct," she radioed through, "the ancient weapons will kill them. Make sure someone looks into that."

"Sabé? What happened?" Grosby asked but she was in no mood to talk.

"I ran into the same creature as yesterday, the people who lived here called it an arktos. I'll radio in again when I reach the pilot." There was silence from the radio as she started walking again, not bothering to retrieve her arrows from the dead animal and its prey.

* * *

She could see start to see smoke coming from the crash site of the newcomer, its metallic, putrid smell making her screw up her nose. She leapt gracefully from boulder to boulder. She'd left the forest behind a few hours ago and the almost setting sun was starting to worry her. If she didn't find the pilot soon she'd have to make camp for the night and continue her search in the morning, something she didn't particularly want to do by herself. She drew her jacket closer around her as the temperature dropped. While it was almost stiflingly hot in the palace during the day, the nights in the mountainous areas rapidly cooled off. She needed to find this pilot soon.

She knew she was starting to get close when she saw the first boulder with a chunk missing and black smeared across it. She quickly ran up to it, wiping her finger against it and sniffing, before recoiling. Following where there was still a steady plume of smoke coming from she quickly found more evidence of the crash that there hadn't been with theirs. Steady chunks of ship which started sparingly scattered were quickly found every few metres and she had taken to walking in the skid marks where she could. She knew it had bounced along because of this and only hoped that the pilot hadn't died from wounds. She about to climb over another boulder, sure that this would reveal the final skid of the ship and the crash site itself when an explosion threw her backwards ten metres and she rolled down the side of the mountain, unable to stop herself until she rolled into a particularly shaped boulder which dug into her back. She groaned, her ears ringing and not entirely sure what had happened. Several arrows lay scattered around her, having fallen out of their quiver in the tumble. She tried to shake the ringing out of her ears, only making it worse. Knowing she had to move, she slowly rolled onto her front, groaning again at the pain that pulsed through her body before finding a nearby rock to use to pull herself up. She swayed for a moment, lightheaded, before slowly leaning down to retrieve her fallen arrows and standing up. Another bout of head rush overcame her and she gripped the rock as she swayed and her vision swam. As soon as it had cleared, she made slowly made her way back up the side of the mountain. She worriedly looked at where the sun was letting its last rays shine, the sky gorgeous shades of pinks, purples and oranges. While usually she loved the sunset, today she was working against it and she needed it to slow down. She knew there was no way such a thing was possible so with aching body she slowly put one foot in front of the other, knowing that even in the dark she'd have to find a safe place and at least a burning ship offered warmth and light.

* * *

She sighed in relief as the boulder was nearly in sight, but now she had a different problem. While before the smoke had simply been a plume that rose to the sky, now it covered the nearby landscape like a fog, stinging her eyes and making it hard to breathe. Each breath not only tickled but burnt and soon she wasn't able to use rocks for support they were so hot.

She reached the wreckage after what seemed an age, yet the sun still hadn't set. She took it as a good sign. It meant that she hadn't taken as long as she thought she had to reach where she was and she risked searing her hand as she climbed the boulder she'd been at before the explosion. When her feet hit the ground on the other side she gasped in shock before she immediately started coughing, the smoke thicker and almost opaque. In the flames, she could see the outline of a single person scavenger ship, the kind small enough to mine the nearby asteroid fields. She tripped over sections of ship as she approached, not able to distinguish between rock and ship in the dying light and the smoke. The burning frame of the ship was causing her to sweat and her eyes to water. She rubbed at them viciously to try and stop them itching. She knew she had to accept defeat, that there was no way the pilot could have survived that when she heard a groan in the distance. She stopped, the crackle of the flames stopping her from hearing any more. Then she heard it again. Carefully, she drew her bow and nocked an arrow. She slowly and carefully walked to where it sounded like it had come from. She heard the scatter of rocks falling down the mountainside as someone moved around and she crouched behind a boulder, hearing curse words from the pilot. Standing up, Veruna saw dark hair. He was metres away where the smoke cleared and she stared in amazement at the luck of this man. Stalking towards him again she called out.

"You there! Turn around!" The man, startled at seeing someone else, pivoted and slipped, landing on his ass and then his forearms. Her bow was drawn as she approached him and he looked up at her with startled brown eyes, arms half raised in surrender.

Once the effect the smoke had on her eyes cleared and she could see him properly she lowered her bow.

"Well, if it isn't Poe Dameron; the Resistance's poster boy."

He gave her an uneasy smirk that didn't make it to his eyes.

"And who might you be?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey everyone! Apologies for the late update but I had a little bit of a personal shit storm go on this week and then I had real difficulty writing the chapter so I think the one I'm publishing is like rewrite three or four? Anyways, I'm still not entirely happy with it but it's as good as it's probably going to get without taking a few more weeks. I'm a little unsure about the characterisation of Poe and the moment so let me know what you think and be sure to comment with any other thoughts you've had! Ive also changed the formatting after someone said it was too difficult to read as it was so let me know what you think about that. Anywho, yay! Poe's finally here!**_

When Veruna woke in the morning, it was with a start. Above her, the skies which had previously been a clear azure blue were now a dark threatening grey and as another rumble passed through the sky she realized that it had been thunder that had awoken her. Standing, she repacked her belongings before shaking the still sleeping Poe.

"Wake up," she hissed. He looked up at her with bleary eyes.

"We need to get off the mountain before the rain starts." With a start, he too was standing on his feet. It happened so quick that it was a blur before Veruna's eyes and she blinked. Together they began to make their way down the mountains.

* * *

They had only been walking a short time when the rain started, making the rocks slippery and the exposed earth to mush. It pelted down around them, hurting their skin and bouncing back off the ground. With the forest in sight, Sabé let out a screech as a particularly large drop landed down the back of her shirt before she took off in a run towards the forest. Poe gave a laugh and followed her. Quickly, the two made it into the forest and Veruna let out another squeal as she slipped down a muddy slope. Poe grunted as he couldn't stop in time and slid down after her. She stopped and looked at him in shock before pointing and giggling at not only the look on his face but the mud that was half smeared onto it. He glared half-heartedly at her when her radio beeped.

"What's the situation, V?"

She grinned at Mace's voice, "flyboy and I are making our way back to the palace. Judging from how early we started moving we should be there sometime after lunch."

"Sounds good," he told her, "We'll make sure to have some food and the baths ready for you. Mace, out." She smiled at the thought before turning to Poe still sitting in the mud.

"Come on," she told him, "we still have another few hours of walking to do again before we can stop for lunch." With a sigh, he stood and started walking again, not missing how her eyes followed his figure as he did. He smirked as he heard her call out.

"You're going the wrong way, Flyboy."

He pivoted, "you know," he teased, "the correct way to address me as a commander in the resistance is 'sir."

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"If that's what you're into, _Sir,_ " she told him sarcastically. At this a wide grin split his face and they walked in a quiet companionship for another few metres. He'd met several Naboo before, but only a few as they were a peaceful country and for the most part were held under tight observation from both the Empire and the First Order. He could understand why if most of the Naboo were like this woman; quick-witted, athletic and beautiful. He watched her as she walked, with sure-footing and silent. He made a note to ask her more about her home planet when he got the opportunity. There was an awkward silence as she looked at him curiously and he realized he'd been staring.

"I was joking. You can call me Poe."

"I know."

"Oh, well then…" he trailed of in an uncharacteristically awkward manner. Sabé gave a small self-satisfied, sideways smile at that and told him that she could see a clearing where they could stop for a short while. He bit his lip and nodded, following without a word.

* * *

Just as Veruna had predicted, they arrived at the city gates just after midday. The rain hadn't stopped but it did lighten to a drizzly shower rather than the pelting they'd received earlier in the day. Xxarr and Sabé met them at the city gates and Veruna grinned and waved at them.

"Come on!" she grinned at Poe as she broke out into a run, "these are two of my crew!" The pilot grinned at her and followed to catch up, watching the figures leaning against the wall waving grow bigger and bigger until he could distinguish a male and female. He lagged behind as his female companion approached them and gave them both quick hugs, seemingly caught up in an energetic conversation. Kicking at the ground, he stood behind her, wondering whether he should interrupt or not, after all these were the people who were going to hopefully take him home, it seemed rather rude and inappropriate to simply barge in on their reunion. As if sensing his internal debate, Veruna turned and gestured him forward.

"Yaneé, Xxarr, this is the crashed pilot, Poe Dameron, resistance ace." They both looked him over with wide eyes. It was almost comical, and he noticed wryly that so far, Veruna had been the only one who hadn't treated him like the revered war hero. He regarded them as they got over their star-strike. From what he'd heard, they both resembled the typical Naboo, chocolate coloured hair and eyes, average human height with a somewhat pale complexion. The girl had large, doe like eyes and a somewhat rounded face, whereas the man next to her had a wild head of curls and a strong, lean build.

"Hey there," he finally stated with an easy grin. Xxarr was the first to recover.

"Mace will want to meet you. Please follow me back up to the palace." The two men struck up an awkward conversation that quickly eased into a talk of mechanics and droids. Yaneé and Veruna trailed behind the two, arms linked.

"He's attractive," Yaneé stated, looking at Poe in front of them.

"I suppose?" Veruna asked with a raised eyebrow. She ignored the navigator's next comment to jump in a puddle, splashing the muddy rain water over Yaneé who squealed.

"I'm already wet, you idiot!" she laughed as she jumped in a puddle closeby, kicking the water at Veruna who laughed. The two men looked over their shoulder to see the girls chasing each other and jumping in puddles as they trailed behind. Poe smiled, while Xxarr looked back ahead to see where Mace was waiting for them under the cover of the courtyard outside the palace. He had a frown on his face as they grew closer and realizing it was aimed at them, the girls grew serious, looking at the slippery cobblestones as they followed behind Xxarr, trying not to giggle at Mace's anger.

"Captain, this is the pilot that Veruna saved from the wreckage." Mace pulled himself off of a column he'd been leaning against and extended his hand.

"Welcome," he told Poe, who returned the handshake, "although I apologise for the circumstances that brought you here."

The pilot shrugged, "it wasn't you that shot me down, I just need to get back to the resistance."

"Maybe we can help each other then. Come, my father is waiting for us in the dining room." With a hand, he gestured for Poe to head in that direction without any acknowledgement of the three that had accompanied him. They shared a look before they too followed, not wanting to miss out on any information that may be shared.

* * *

As they entered the dining room and sat at one end of the long table Mace gave them a look.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"We're not leaving," Xxarr stated as he leant back in his chair, his gaze defiant as it met Mace's.

"Whatever is said we need to hear too," Sabé agreed, not liking how Mace had pushed them aside since he had gained command. Mace then met Veruna's hard look.

"Anything to add?" he hissed, "you're usually the most argumentative one of the group."

She shrugged with an easy smirk, her posture relaxed, "you're the captain, Captain." Poe raised his eyebrows at the groups open disagreement and the tension that he appeared to have stumbled across in the group.

"Enough," a man called out that Poe had yet to meet, "sit down, all of you." Mace opened his mouth as if to argue but thought better of it, sitting next to Xxarr at the head of the table.

"I'm Grosby, Mace's father and our ships systems technician."

"Nice to meet you," Poe smiled and shook his hand as he sat, liking the man immediately.

"Now, if you're able, tell us how you came to be crashed on a planet in the Uncharted Regions and we'll see how we can help both you and yourselves off this planet."

"With due respect," he began, wetting his lip before continuing and leaning forward on the table to look more closely at Grosby, "I'd like to know your mission first. A Naboo vessel being shot down by the First Order raises some questions, and while I like the Naboo well enough, you're all strangers to me and I want to be assured you won't turn around and stab me in the back."

Grosby sighed heavily, "Our mission was supposed to remain secret but I suppose you're just as stuck as we are. Our ship was called _The Mercy_. It was the first of its kind ship, fastest ever made, even faster than the Millenium Falcon and as a result need a bigger crew on the bridge. It was designed as a hospital ship but we were heading to the Resistance with the blueprints. We figured that you guys could use it one your stealth ships."

Poe nodded, "we'd be thankful. I know the Resistance is trying to develop faster ships that are still maneuverable but we lack the resources and since the First Order took power, the allies to do so."

Grosby nodded, "the First Order shot us down for not allowing us to board and we ended up here."

"How did you escape?" he asked curiously.

"Sabé, our navigator and Xxarr, our mechanic, developed an improvised cloaking device to make the crash look unsurvivable." Poe looked at the two in shock. They looked down and blushed.

"Now, why are you here?" Poe grinned and began his story.

* * *

When he reached his tale's conclusion there was a brief silence.

"You're telling me you went on a top-secret mission for the Resistance and you decided to take an X-Wing?" It was Sabé who had asked it in a disbelieving tone and her arms crossed.

"I realise that it doesn't sound like the most plausible story. But trust me, I took it knowing that if anything happened the Resistance would not come for me. I need to get back to them."

Xxarr finally spoke up, "I potentially could fix the ship enough to get us back to D'qar but we wouldn't survive any kind of run ins with the First Order."

"We don't have a crew." Mace stated blankly.

"Thanks for the reminder!" Yaneé snapped back at him before she turned to Poe with a fire in her eyes. "You help us get off this planet and I'm joining the Resistance."

"Me too," Sabé stated, "what use is there for a combat medic on Naboo?"

Poe grinned, "were there any droids aboard your ship which survived?"

Mace looked at his crew and friends with a weary glance before he shook his head. "due to the nature of the ship, the droids were connected to the power. If the ship doesn't work, then neither will the droids."

"If you allow Yaneé and I to head out there we could potentially get the ship into a decent enough state to get it down here and continue work on it. There must be some kind of treasure room with crystals that can substitute and metal on the planet that we can use to reskin the ship. The rest can be improvised until we get to the Resistance." Xxarr looked at his lover for confirmation. Mace nodded and then turned to Poe.

"Will you help?"

"I'll offer any assistance I can," he agreed and Grosby gave a grumble of approval before they all went their separate ways for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello again everyone! Here is Chapter Seven! I'd just like to point out that I'm a lot happier with this chapter than I was the previous. Not as much Poe action but some good stuff between Mace and Veruna. I feel like he really is trying his best, y'know? Even if it doesn't come across that way. Anyway! As per normal, let me know what you think and any improvements you can think of regarding either story, format or Poe's characterisation. Just one last thing, there's a poll on my profile for which story you'd like me to write next so have a look and flick through a vote! Happy reading**_

Yaneé and Xxarr packed overnight and left after a light breakfast the next day. The rain that had persisted the day before had stopped during the night and all that was left now was the diminishing clouds. Veruna was walking towards the room Poe had stayed in the previous night when she bumped into Mace.

"Hey," he fidgeted with his hands before he looked down at the floor, "can I, uh, can I talk to you for a second?" Veruna frowned at him in confusion but nodded. It was true they hadn't got on very well since the ship had crashed and he gained command, but he was still an old friend. As he led her into his room, he gestured for her to sit down before sitting across from her, a fire pit blazing in the middle of them.

Hesitantly she sat.

The heat from the fire staved off the early morning cool that would soon be banished by the rays of the rising sun.

"I can trust you for an honest opinion, right?" he asked her and played with his hands, not quite making eye contact. Veruna assessed him before she answered. When he'd been at school and the crew aboard the _Mercy_ had described him as 'golden' due to the colour of his hair and his skin which, when he'd been in the sun, went a dark olive colour. Added with the fact that up until recently he'd been agreeable, smart, and quick-witted Sabé had no grounds to disagree with the description. Looking at him now, though, his skin had paled from being inside the palace so much and his eyes appeared sunken. Even his usually wild hair hung more limply around his face. He didn't look golden now, he looked diminished.

Finally, Veruna replied.

"Have I ever given you anything else?"

"How have I been doing? Every time I talk to the crew I feel like I'm being attacked." Once again, she paused before answering. Diplomacy had never been her strong suit. She was able to lie. As a combat medic lying came as second nature, _it's okay soldier, you're going to be fine,_ as did the truth, _three blaster wounds, artery severed and a BPM below 30. Leave Him. He's not going to survive and we can't waste resources._ Diplomacy was a nurse's job or a doctor's. She just stopped a person from dying.

"I…" she paused again. "I think it's taking the crew some time to adjust to having to answer to you. For so long we've treated you as an equal and now we're not supposed to argue with what you've said." Mace sighed and placed his head in his hands, looking utterly drained.

"I've really screwed this up." She let out a breathy laugh.

"Yeah, you kinda have."

"God. How do I make this better, V?" She shrugged.

"Try harder." The look he gave nearly caused her to burst out laughing at her own sarcasm.

"I'm trying to be serious here."

"I think that's the issue. Try not to be; you're still you. It's just now we have to listen to the decisions you make."

"But how am I supposed to get them to follow me when I don't even know how to lead them? Can't guarantee that they'll go home?"

"You just try your best. Look, I'm not really sure that I'm the best one to discuss this with considering I'm not in charge of anything. Maybe you should get to know Poe better and ask him for advice? He has a whole squadron who would follow him to the ends of the galaxy. I think he could tell you more than I could." She stood and started a walking towards the door, not wanting to linger too long to admire the beauty of his room. His voice stopped her.

"Hey, V?" She turned slightly so that he knew she was listening.

"Thanks for trying anyway. I means more than I think you realize." She gave him a single nod and a half smile before walking out the door.

* * *

She collapsed back onto her bed with a sigh, having given up on finding Poe. Hopefully, Mace had found him and was currently receiving the leadership lessons that he'd desperately been after. The room she'd found had been somewhat smaller than Mace's and rather than the smooth white walls his had, hers was turquoise. From her bed, she could stare up at the ceiling at the mural there that she'd yet to decipher. There was a fire pit in the middle of the room, much like with Mace's and just like with Mace's the bed also sat on a raised platform. It smelt musty to her and she dare not think about what could actually be living in it until they could make new mattresses for the beds. Hopefully they wouldn't be there long enough to need to.

"You have a nice room," a male voice told her and she looked up to see Poe hovering in the doorway.

"Thank you," she smiled and sat up, "it wasn't originally mine."

"Funny, that," he quipped and moved into the room fully. "I was thinking that we could perhaps explore the palace today? And maybe the area surrounding it. It would be nice to get to know my rescuer better." Veruna beamed up at him.

"I'd be happy to. But first I think that Mace was looking for you. He was seeking some leadership advice."

Poe made a look of understanding. "In that case then, I shall go and seek him out. I shall come find you in the afternoon when we've finished?"

"Sounds good," she smiled before she stood and they both walked to the door, "I shall be in the library if you need me." They went their separate ways with a bounce in their step and Veruna's smile only increased as she looked at the scrolls in the library.

* * *

She looked up from the scroll she was currently trying to decipher from the pictures when she heard footsteps. She smiled softly expecting to find Poe but instead was surprised to find Mace moving to sit at the table opposite her.

"Hello," she greeted him and placed the scroll on the table, watching it loosely curl back up.

"Hello. I've brought you something in thanks." Veruna frowned at him in confusion. What had she done that warranted thanks?

"I'm glad you gave an honest opinion and for sending Poe to come and talk to me. No one else would have."

"If you'd have asked Xxarr or Groz they would've. We're here to help, y'know. You just need to be brave enough to ask."

"Nevertheless," he moved forward with a shrug and dumped something on the table which was wrapped in an embroidered cloth, being careful to avoid the delicate scroll.

"Thanks."

He shrugged again, before he turned to walk out of the room. Thinking of something he paused and then turned to look at Veruna who was just starting to unwrap his present.

"While we're on the honest note as well, I thought I should tell you that I didn't find the bow. It was in Grosby's room and he told me to give it to you in apology." Sabé smiled softly at the confession.

"It doesn't make it mean any less." The man nodded, his demeanor seeming to have picked up since the morning and he left the room without saying another word, leaving Sabé not only with her thoughts but the present in front of her, eating away at her curiosity.

* * *

Before she opened the present, she assumed it to be a blade of sort from the shape. When she opened it, she found that it was in fact a sword, but there were other artifacts in there that made her smile. A polished helmet gleamed her reflection back at her, a satchel that when she opened it contained some dried herbs and some pieces of paper that needed to be put back together and deciphered. There were a few coins and some rusty, decorational arrow heads that had intricate patterns engraved into them and two dice. She smiled softly as she turned each item over in her hands, taking in the details of them, the different textures before finally, she laid out flat the cloth that it had been wrapped in. It was cream in colour and incredibly thin. Yet, despite its age it was still strong and the embroidery was beautiful. As she followed it, it appeared to tell a story like all the artwork here seemed to do. It was one of maidens and flowers and love, before eventually there was a section which showed a woman dying to save her love. Despite the morose depictions she smiled at the beauty of it.

"Hey there, are you busy?" Poe asked and came to sit opposite her. She looked up and smiled at the man before carefully wrapping the gifts back in the cloth that they'd come in and rerolling the scroll and placing it back in its proper place.

"Not at all," she grinned and picked up the present, "let me just drop this off and we can go exploring." Poe laughed at the unadulterated excitement on her face.

"How much of this place have you seen?" he asked curiously as they walked down the large corridors to her room.

"Not much," she informed him as she opened the heavy door to her room, "we'd barely been here a few days when we saw your ship crash. I came to find you the day after. So much what I've seen of this landscape has been mountains and forest and not much else."

"Well then, I say let's finish exploring the palace. Didn't someone say yesterday they'd found baths and a passage down to the beach?"

"Yeah, I think it was Yaneé. Well, Commander. I am following you." He gave her a cocky grin and sauntered ahead before turning a corner into a dead-end garden. He blushed and looked for an exit before he finally about turned and backtracked to go a different way.

Veruna's laugh echoed down the empty corridors."It's no wonder you crash landed here!" she informed him, "not so onto without your computers, are you?" He sent a sarcastic glare over his shoulder before breaking out into a run, only hearing her laughing again behind him and her footfalls as she raced to keep up.


End file.
